


And The Saint Came Marching Home

by Kca1516



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Angst, Artist Steve Rogers, Avengers Family, Avengers Feels, Clint Barton Needs a Hug, Enemies to Lovers, Eventual Happy Ending, Fluff, Howard Stark's A+ Parenting, M/M, Past Peggy Carter/Steve Rogers, Pranks and Practical Jokes, Slow Burn, Smut, Steve Rogers Needs a Hug, Suicidal Thoughts, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, no one can stand super soldier tears, sad steeb
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-21
Updated: 2020-07-07
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:54:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,715
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24842611
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kca1516/pseuds/Kca1516
Summary: Steve has to reacquaint himself with modern society after being pulled from the ice.He finds himself struggling with not only memories from his cold slumber, but his growing affections for one Tony Stark.
Relationships: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Comments: 2
Kudos: 55





	1. Chapter 1

The screech of metal and shattering glass encased Steve, stabbing him through his armor.

The captain grunted as he was jerked forward. 

Steve’s head propelled into the dashboard. The collision made his gaze spin and his stomach turn, but he pushed away the delerium.

The straps of the pilot’s seat dug into his chest crushing him, multiple ribs popped from the force. The crackle of a radio registered in his ears, but it seemed far away. Steve could barely hear Peggy’s voice screaming for him to respond.

“Steve! Steven, do you copy! Answer me!” 

Her thick accent all but disappeared within the fear she projected through the radio. 

Steve tried to respond but the strain in his chest made it almost impossible. The dizziness in his head jumbled words thick on his tongue, causing him to forget how to speak.

“Rogers! Do you copy!” 

The captain struggled with himself, trying to persevere through the agony of his splintered torso. 

The static of the radio became quieter. 

_ Come on, god damn it! Answer her! You’ve gone through much worse than this!  _

The captain cursed. His breaths were gritty and rough, the thin air coating his throat in tiny cuts. Steve rasped. 

“Peg-” 

He was cut short when a pipe burst, knocking the man unconscious. 

The last the captain heard was a woman’s voice calling out.

The radio shut off.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Steve was startled awake.

He inhaled sharply, and squeezed his eyes tight. 

The man’s surroundings were blurry, and his brain throbbed like an exposed nerve in his skull. For a moment, the captain had blissfully forgotten where he was. His thoughts mangled and sliced apart like that of pulled pork. 

An eerie creak of metal bones mended his fractured mind. 

Red Skull was defeated, the tesseract was lost, and Steve had crashed the plane with the bombs into the water. 

As he had gone down, Peggy had tried to make contact with him, but Steve had been knocked unconscious before he could respond. The captain shifted in his seat and was reminded that his ribs were shattered. He was caught off guard as to why there was no excruciating pain when he tried to breathe. It was then that Steve realized he was shivering. His neck protested as he looked down to discover he was chest deep in numbing, Arctic water that was slowly rising. 

Panic seized him, but the soldier caught himself before he lost control. He had to keep a steady head if he was to get out of this alive.

Knowing that staying still would be suicide, Steve tried to free himself of his restraints that were keeping him pinned. 

He pulled and tugged, but the belts didn’t budge; they were stuck in place, crushed in the buckle by a support beam that must’ve fallen during his blackout. 

The captain tried to push the scaffolding out of position, but his chest constricted. A white hot fire pulsed through his body. Steve tried again, hoping the water would aid his escape, but the beam didn’t even slide.

The ocean rose to his neck. Steve’s movements were significantly slowed, and his hands were stiffening. Steve wouldn’t give up. He pulled frantically at the straps, again and again, but not even his strength could tear them.

“Come on, come  _ on _ !” 

Despite his desperation, his actions remained futile. The cold and fatigue from the earlier battle with Red Skull was finally taking its toll.

“Is this it? The end of line?” 

Only silence heard him. 

Steve scoffed, and let his arms drift to his lap. With the acceptance of a dying man, Steve looked out of the butchered panes, staring at a dark blue nothingness.

“Howlies. Peggy. It was the only way. I hope you can forgive me. I’m sorry, I’m  _ sorry, _ ” he repeated.

Steve closed his eyes as the icy water finally took him under, filling his lungs. 

  
  


~~~~~~~~~

A distant hum brought Steve back around.

The man’s eyes were frosted shut, his body only half frozen due to his irregular body heat. Though muffled, Steve recognized the hum that had jostled him awake as an engine.

A shot of hope raced through Steve as his gaze narrowed in on an ethereal glow moving back and forth in front of his eyelids.

The blinding light stopped on Steve, but it quickly kept moving. The captain tried to gain control of his body, but not an inch gave way. Desperation clawed from the confines of his mind as the submarine came closer and closer, stopping below him. 

_ Hey! Hey! I’m here, help! Look up!  _

Steve’s body wasn’t responding, and nor was the questioning light. 

_ Help Please! I don’t want to be here anymore!  _

A mechanical whine came from the sub below, as if it was coming closer. 

Elation filled Steve. He was going to get out of this cold prison. He was going to get back to Peggy, and everyone else. He would be giddy to hear the Howlies yell at him. Reminding Steve what a stupid ass he is. 

He wanted Dernier to cuss him out in french, even though he wouldn’t understand a single word. He wanted Peggy to slap him across the face as she berated him for scaring her half to death. 

Steve just wanted to feel their warmth as they cried, their happiness chasing away the chill that plagued his bones.

Steve was so cold; everything was so cold.

He wanted to go home. 

Those hopes came to a screeching halt as the sub’s engines started to awaken with power. 

_ No. _

_ NO!  _

_ Please, wait. Comeback, don't leave me! _

The sub passed by Steve’s window to the outside world. Its searchlight was now accompanied by a familiar, sickening blue glow.

The tesseract. 

Someone had come for the tesseract, but had left Steve. 

_ HELP ME! _

They were the last words Steve thought before his own crushing sadness brought him back to the dark abyss. 

~~~~~~~~~~~

“Did you find him?” 

Peggy’s voice shot out, quick and clean as a bullet, as soon as the man stepped through his office door. 

“Hello Peggy, how are you? I’m great, thanks for asking,” Howard snarked.

“I didn’t,” Peggy replied coolly.

The man of oil and pomade schooled his features before too much could be revealed.

He took a seat.

“No, I didn’t find him,” Howard said, the lie gone unnoticed by his companion. 

“However, I did end up recovering the tesseract. I’ve already turned it over to S.H.I.E.L.D, if they're smart they’ll lock it far, far away.” 

Peggy’s face twisted. 

“That’s not good enough. It’s been a month! We can’t just forget about Steve. He gave his life for this world, hell, for us! We owe it to him to bring him home. He should be a priority on your list of things to do, but you act like he’s at the very bottom.”

Peggy quipped, though she couldn’t stop the well of tears gathering.

She turned away. 

Howard was momentarily stunned.

He hadn’t seen Peggy lose composure like this since the day Steve went down, and he didn’t know what to do.

He didn’t want her to realize how little he cared. The tesseract was always his first priority, and would remain to be. Saving Steve compromised his success. It was why Howard had left him where he was. The Stark knew exactly where Steve lay frozen in the water. The captain had been right above where Howard extracted the cube. 

What was the point of trying to bring home a block of ice?

After all, Steve Rogers was a nobody from Brooklyn; a man who was trying to play hero, and lost. His name forgotten just like all the other “brave” soldiers.

“Peggy, I’m sorry, but I’ve been trying my hardest. There’s only so much I can do with the technology at my disposal, despite it being the world’s best. Steve might have had a better chance if he hadn’t gone into the ice alone, but that’s a reality lost to us.”

Peggy’s eyes widened in horror.

Howard smirked.

“I think it’s time to let go,” the scientist said, nonchalantly.

Peggy rounded on Howard, but was interrupted by a knock at the door. 

“Sir, Ma’am. The statue’s going to be revealed in fifteen minutes. The Commandos have already arrived at the site,” Jarvis’s voice sounded through the door.

Peggy took a breath to try to calm herself, “Thank you Jarvis, we'll be out soon.” 

As Jarvis’s footsteps faded, the woman shook her head at Howard. She was disappointed in the one man she thought she could trust to care about finding Steve as much as she did. 

“You’re lucky I don’t have my gun with me,” she said.

Peggy let her shoulder clip Howard’s own as she marched out the door. Anger thrummed through her veins as she made her way to the waiting car.

~~~~~~~~~~

At the center of Central Park there stood an erect solid brass, and marble based statue.

The statue was a spitting image of Captain America pointing, as if giving orders to soldiers.

The Howling Commandos surrounded its foot at parade rest. They swallowed around the lumps gathering in their exposed airways as they gave their faithful captain a moment of silence. 

To remember him for all he had been, and all he had represented.

Peggy had removed herself from the group of men as they grieved in privacy. 

She couldn’t stand it. She couldn’t watch them give up when she knew their captain, her Steve, was still out there in the unknown. 

She whispered one last vow to Steve before she left.

“I know you’re out there. I know you wouldn’t die on me. But if for some reason you stay lost to me, I promise that I will never let them forget you.” 

  
  



	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I unintentionally made Peggy and Maria gay and I'm not mad about it. If Howard can cheat so can Maria.

The wail of a baby brightened the hospital room. 

Maria lay, sweaty and tired, with the biggest smile on her face as her son was placed on her chest. A bustling baby boy by the name of Anthony Edward Stark.

Even Howard donned a real smile.

“He’s handsome, probably going to be exactly like me one day.”

Peggy choked.

For as long as she lived she wouldn’t let Howard taint an innocent child. Anthony would not end up as beastly and unrelenting as the Stark man. Peggy would make sure to keep Tony in line as he grew. He’d be kind and gentle and raised on heroic stories of honorable men. 

Peggy's mood soured as Steve flashed in her mind.

He should be here right now, celebrating the new life that was brought to the world.

She couldn’t help the bittersweet smile that lifted the corners of her lips as she imagined how awkward the captain would be. Steve would be worried his bouldering body would squish the baby as he held the tiny thing in his palms. God forbid the baby cried, Steve would do all he could to try and calm him down, but would fail miserably in the process. 

She let out a small sigh.

_ It’s been a long 20 years. _

The search for the lost captain ceased not too long ago. Hope had dimmed with every empty turn up. 

The Howlies had all passed away, they were the only people who had the drive to find Steve the same as her. But though their legacy was great, it took a heavy toll on the brave men.

The continuous lack of evidence that Steve had survived weighed on them. 

Peggy had struggled with the same lack of hope, but unlike the commandos, she had eventually accepted Steve’s fate. It might have been why she was still alive today. 

Her entire mindset had changed. Peggy’s new mission was to get S.H.I.E.L.D to  _ stop _ , even when the other branches put up a long fight to keep the funding for Steve going. 

S.H.I.E.L.D.’s paranoia of Hydra finding Captain America didn’t fall on deaf ears. Hydra was still hugely relevant; those insect bastards kept rearing their ugly heads. But the mission that had once been to bring back a little light to the world had now been corrupted by greed and power. 

Peggy’s eyes landed on a bouquet of white calla lilies.

A new beginning. 

~~~~~~~~~~

_ Peggy stood in the middle of a dimly lit room, arguing with the blacked out faces of S.H.I.E.L.D’s branch leaders.  _

_ “His body must be recovered! There’s just too much at stake. His blood could be our downfall.”  _

_ Peggy kept her features cool as they spoke.  _

_ “And what if he’s alive? He can be brought home and continue being America’s beacon! Hydra has been wreaking havoc, almost destroying small countries even with our help!”  _

_ A woman spoke. _

_ Peggy intercepted them.  _

_ “You speak of him as if he’s an object who would mind numbingly follow your orders. This whole ordeal just shows how much you never understood what Captain Rogers embodied. Excuse my words, but he’s a fucking human being, not your perfect soldier!”  _

_ The chamber was silent. _

_ “This has gone on long enough. I urge you to stop the searches. Even if he were alive, the serum would only have healed his body. Externally, Steve would be completely fine, but his mind could be lost to us. Confirming what was originally thought. _

_ Captain Rogers is dead.”  _

_ Peggy’s hands tightened and her voice hardened. _

_ “You can let his glory live on, but for god sake let the man rest in peace.”  _

_ The chairmen were still as they came to a decision. _

__

_ That day all funds were pulled from operation Lost Saint.  _

_ ~~~~~~~~~~ _

Peggy resisted the tears that fought to spill. This was supposed to be a happy day, even if Steve wasn’t here to see it.

Her pain lessened as she looked upon the newborn Stark. 

Life stopped for no one, and Steve would never want her years to be wasted on him. He would want her to live to the fullest, not only for him, but for herself. 

“Do you want to hold him?” 

Peggy came back to the scene before her as Maria addressed her. 

Peggy gave a small smile as she nodded her head, and took Tony into her arms. 

The weight was a comfort. Dark, wide eyes peered back at her. 

Peggy ran her thumb across his chubby cheek as she came to accept that it was time to let go.

~~~~~~~~

Steve was roused by a thundering clash that bounced through the deep ocean.

Different from the other times Steve woke, he felt off. 

He figured it was his body trying to stave off the ice, which was becoming something he wished wouldn’t happen. The serum was supposed to be a gift: it healed all his ailments, made him taller, faster, and stronger.

To be chosen for this was supposed to be an honor. 

Now, it had turned into a curse.

He wished it would stop prolonging the inevitable. 

_ I just want to sleep. Please, God, please just put an end to this. Is anyone even looking for me? _

_ Did they give up? _

Steve hadn’t had hope of being found since...since..

He didn’t know.

Time seemed to be a figment, a distant memory from a life before. 

Maybe this was hell, heaven was too out of reach for him.

He had too much blood on his hands to be let into the white palace; though he prayed each time he woke up, his prayers were never answered.

A thudding pop shifted Steve’s body.

The soldier wanted to scream as a rib reset back into place, sending a scalding pain to the ending of every nerve. He felt the crunch of crystalized flesh and muscle as it reformed to its natural state.

The universe was cruel and cold like the ice that had wrapped itself around Steve’s vocal chords, restricting his cries of agony. 

Steve's consciousness faded to black as his ice coffin sunk lower into the cold void, burying him with it.

~~~~~~~~

Peggy stood with the Stark family outside of the empty tomb.

No one spoke aside from the idle babble from baby Tony.

The mausoleum loomed over the mourners with its delicate, carved pillars. An empty casket lay in the middle on a marble slab. Flowers and letters encircled the casket.

There, on a stand with a red, white, and blue garland, was a portrait of one Captain Steve Rogers. 

The mausoleum stood as a sign of peace and closure, though it wasn’t occupied.

Howard was stoned faced, not having said a single word since the ceremony ended. 

The engineer looked like he’d rather be anywhere else but here. 

Maria was busy trying to keep Tony quiet, cooing at him to keep him distracted. Even though she was smiling, Peggy saw that Maria’s eyes were tinged red and puffy. 

Peggy kept to herself throughout the memorial. Her eyes had shone with silent tears, though they weren’t from sadness. 

She was happy. 

Peggy was able to keep her one last promise to the man with the plan.

She closed her eyes and raised her head to the sky.

_ See Steve? Even though I wasn’t able to bring you home, I was able to keep your memory alive. You will be remembered for years to come, and your actions never forgotten. Rest easy, love.  _

Peggy took a deep breath, and dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief. Maria gently lay her head on her friend’s shoulder. Peggy placed a soft kiss on her friend’s forehead in a silent thanks turning away to walk to her car.

Tony’s curious eyes watched as Peggy left, but his attention was quickly turned elsewhere. He made small noises as he looked at Steve's portrait.

The baby smiled as he stuck his arm out and reached for the picture.

  
  



	3. Chapter 3

Bruce sighed as he took a seat in his lab, fingers already flying along the holographic keyboard.

It was that time of the month where one of the Avengers had to perform a global security scan to make sure there weren’t any irregularities in the atmosphere’s chemical compound.

By “one of the Avengers” he meant him or Tony

Guess who had asked him to take his shift for the third month in a row?

Bruce had agreed, reluctantly. 

Yesterday’s mission had been endless, even though they hadn’t really needed to be called in. The team had been flown to London on a level seven mission in search of one of the Queen’s corgis, and had spent an embarrassing amount of time looking for the dog only to find it dead asleep under her bed.

The result of the mission was the only reason Bruce had complied with Tony’s request. He couldn't stand to listen to another one of the billionaire's complaints about being a “Pet Bounty Hunter,” and had taken any excuse to get some peace and quiet. 

In trying to do so, Bruce took a deep breath and refocused. He brought up the login screen and input the code for the Avenger’s satellites. With a few clicks of a button, the scan began. The scientist got up to make a cup of tea, as it was going to take a few minutes for the sweep to be complete.

However, his peace didn’t last long as Tony Stark strode through the doors.

“Oh, here we go,” Bruce mumbled. 

“Brucie-bear! How’s the search going, darling?” Tony exclaimed, throwing his arm over Bruce’s shoulders. 

“I don’t know, Tony, I just started it,” the doctor said, wearily, “If you were going to join me, you should have done it yourself.” 

“Oh! Good, good, that’s great,” Tony said, as if he hadn’t heard Bruce at all. 

Tony hesitated as he fidgeted with his hands, wandering the lab. 

Bruce raised his eyebrow. 

“Is there something you need-”

“We might have a problem,” Tony cut off with a nervous smile.

The scientist leveled him with an annoyed glare.

“What do you mean,” Bruce said in a clipped tone.

Tony dropped the facade.

“So, I might have left the door open to the lab while I was working on the suit,” Tony explained.

“Oh?”

“And DUM-E may have gotten out.”

“Oh.”

“With the fire extinguisher,” Tony finished.

“ _ Oh no, _ ” Bruce shook his head, his irritation growing to amounts he didn’t know possible.

“Tony, again!? This the second time in a week! We’ve talked about this,” Bruce snapped.

Tony put up his hands, and ducked his head. 

“Yes, I know, I know, but I guess he’s been feeling adventurous lately.” 

Bruce had already slid his way back to the screen in order to track down the GPS they had installed in the robot the third time he’d done something like this. But the people of

Manhattan would have to wait on a savior when an alarm cut off the men’s bickering. 

“Is it DUM-E? What did he do!” Tony shot out, rushing to Bruce's side in what could have been considered ‘motherhening.’

“No, it’s not DUM-E,” Bruce answered while pushing up his glasses.

“According to these readings, there’s a rise in nuclear levels in the Arctic. It seems to be contained in one place, which is weird, but it’s getting critical. Do we suit up?” Bruce asked. 

Tony’s demeanor changed as soon as the seriousness of the situation had settled in. He wasn't just Bruce’s teammate and friend anymore, he was their leader.

“I’ll meet you at the quinjet,” Tony said, already running toward the tarmac.

Bruce followed close behind.

~~~~~~~~~

“Did you pinpoint the location?” Natasha asked Clint. 

The cockpit of the quinjet was quiet compared to the noise going on further down in its belly. Thor was sitting in one of the seats across from Tony, his thundering voice ricocheting off every crevice in the jet. Bruce kept to himself as he was engaged in his tablet, trying to figure out what was giving off the chemical signals. The team had on their usual suits, but they had been tweaked by Tony who had produced them with thermal sealing technology in order to keep the atmospheric temperatures from affecting their bodies.

“Yeah, we’re right on top of it,” Clint answered, then turned to alert the rest of the group, “we’re landing, hold on to something!” 

Bruce stood with the Stark pad in one hand, and grabbed onto an overhead handle with the other, before briefing the team.

“While we were enroute, I did another scan. It says the nuclear gas is about 15 feet deep into the ice.” 

This proved to be an unforeseen hurdle seeing as they were not in the water, and had no prevalent means of breaking through the ice. 

“How are we going to reach it, then? We didn't bring the sub,” Clint questioned, pointing out the obvious.

Bruce mused the problem over, but Tony already had the answer.

“I can go, the suit has a waterlock sequence that will keep both the water and cold out.”

The protests had started before Tony had even finished.

The team was reluctant to let one of their own go on alone, but the more the genius rebutled, it became obvious there was no other option. 

Thor gave Tony a stern look.

“You will be careful, Man of Iron.”

“Of course! I’m always careful,” the engineer exclaimed, as if to suggest otherwise was blasphemous. 

The team was unimpressed. 

“Okay! Okay, I see your point, but this time I promise I’ll be fine.” 

Tony gave a small smile, oddly touched by his friend’s concerns. Not that it stopped him from flying out of the jet, and nosediving into the water.

“Ten dollars he pisses off whatever’s down there,” Clint joked. 

Thor glared at him, and raised his hammer a fraction. 

The archer swallowed and hid behind Natasha.

“I’m not going to protect you, you started this,” the widow said,stepping out of the way.

~~~~~~~~~~

“Alright, talk to me J. What do we got?” 

The A.I’s dulcet tones greeted Tony as he navigated the submerged tundra under the waves. Though the water was endless, Tony could hear the clicking of beluga whales, and the splashing of polar bears hunting for food. It let him know he wasn’t alone. The presence of life helped him feel like he wasn't going to be swallowed whole by an untold creature from below.

“According to the internal scan, there’s a sizable triangular-shaped airship further along your course that is completely encased in the ice,” Jarvis answered, showing Tony the 3D view in the suit's hub. 

The genius didn’t need to wait long to spot it.

Tony’s eyes widened as he came upon the reality of what Jarvis had informed him of. Frozen above him lay a looming, black shadow. Even through the clear ice he could see the crippled metal and exposed insides. The engineer watched as a piece of propeller fell from the engine into the abyss. He was at a loss at how it could’ve possibly landed there without being found. 

“Holy shit guys, this thing is enormous. I’m sending the schematic to you now,” Tony commed to the others. 

He brought up his arm, and scanned the monstrosity before him to beam up to the aircraft.

Bruce opened the 3D diagram on the holoscreen in the quinjet. Clint whistled. 

“Damn, that's a huge bird,” the archer commented with his ever present sarcasm, despite the immensity of what they had just stumbled upon. 

Natasha rolled her eyes.

“Yeah,” Bruce agreed. 

The ship felt familiar to Bruce, almost as if he had seen it a million times before. So why was his cursed memory failing him now?

“From the looks of it, it’s an old WW2 bomber.”

The Doctor pressed his finger to his ear to make sure his teammate could hear him

“Tony, can you see if there’s still explosives on board?” Bruce relayed.

Bruce’s voice was breaking up through the transmission. Tony could barely hear what his friend was saying as he fought against the strong undercurrent of the sea that was trying to swallow him.

“Yeah, give me a sec,” Tony said, inducing a thermal scan.

In these waters he didn’t know how there would be any heat to begin with. Even in his thermalized suit he was shivering. 

A small beep sounded as the survey completed, and readings popped up in front of Tony’s face.

“Yeah, there’s still nukes in there, but they’re inactive from decay. There’s no danger-” 

Jarvis cut Tony off. 

“Sir, I’m detecting another entity on board.” 

Tony paused his message to the ship as Jarvis spoke. 

“What is it, J? Is it friendly?” Tony asked.

“You need to get closer, sir.” 

Tony migrated towards what seemed to be the front of the plane, but still kept his distance.

He felt an odd attraction to the ship. Even though Tony wanted to explore, there was an underlying presence screaming at him to stay away.

“How about it, J?”

Tony almost didn’t want the A.I to respond.

“It’s a body sir, and my sensors are picking up a heartbeat. I advise that immediate action be taken,” Jarvis urged.

A fish swam across Tony’s limited vision.

“J, that’s impossible,” he insisted. 

He shifted into the proximity of the ship's front, almost able to touch it with his covered fingers. His stomach dropped. The water and ice made his vision bend, but Tony could still make out the outline of a person in the pilot’s quarters. 

“Oh my god,” Tony put his hands up to what used to be the window of the ship. 

“Guys,” he said.

“What’s up Tony, is something happening?” Bruce answered.

“You’re not going to believe this,” Tony said, as a familiar red, white, and blue uniform peered back at him. 

“I just found Captain America, and he’s alive.” 

~~~~~~~~~~

Steve was wrenched to consciousness. 

Earth shattering vibrations quaked his prison.

The Captain wasn’t phased by this as he had been awoken by the ice shifting before. 

Steve listened to his surroundings, expecting to find the crack and fissure of the surface moving. Instead, there was nothing but silence. The darkness was overwhelming, making him feel small and alone and like he was going insane.

Steve was tired.

_ I just want to sleep. _

_ Is there a reason I’m still alive? _

_ I don’t deserve this unending torture. I put my life on hold, I changed my body, I forsakened myself for this country. How did I become a lost soul with nowhere to go?  _

_ I just want to sleep.  _

Steve didn’t let himself continue. He couldn’t think like that, he wouldn’t think like that. 

He had sacrificed everything for the people he loved, and he would gladly do it all again. If it meant the Howlies could live, or if millions of people could be safe and grow their families, he’d do it _ all again _ .

If it was the world or Steve, the choice would be obvious.

A high whine broke through his spiraling thoughts.

Behind his eyelids, a bright light bounced around in the distance. Floating, and dancing like a child, when suddenly it came to stop. 

_ What is that? Is someone here?  _

The light came closer. It was bright blue, almost like that of the tesseract, but something was different about this glow. Steve felt safe, and shielded by it. It was entirely unlike the anxiety, and fear that made his teeth grind when challenged with the alien cube. 

_ Why is it looking at me?  _

Although ice cocooned him, the light warmed his body. In his chest, a spark brought forth an emotion he had thought to be lost.

For the first time in seventy years, Steve opened his eyes.

  
  



	4. Chapter 4

Steve was awoken by muffled voices.

The Captain’s eyes slitted open, and he began to survey the room. 

Around him were five people. Though their forms were fuzzy, Steve could tell they were wearing white lab coats. 

He didn’t recognize the chamber he had woken up in; it didn’t resemble any of the clinical bay’s he was used to back at home base. He made a mental note.

A hard surface braced his back: a sterile, metal table. The glare of the yellowing lights were blinding, making him feverish. His eyes shifted sporadically as a sense of dèjà vu started to settle in. To his right, there was only one door. Further along the wall, a standard sized viewing window helped Steve connect the dots.

He’d been captured. 

A doctor carelessly threw a clipboard against a metal plate, the metallic clang forced Steve into a memory. Flashes of another time erupted in vivid images. 

The crimson of Red Skull’s true form materialized at the door, roaring orders to Zola and his subordinates to tie Steve down. An intrusive chemical smell wafted, attacking his heightened senses. Panic swelled within Steve as doctors continued to surround him. The soldier’s gaze locked onto the white ceiling as it morphed into the shadow grey of a Hydra facility. 

Back then, Hydra had wanted to take his blood and reverse engineer it, implanting it into Skull’s personal army. 

Steve closed his eyes as a wave of exhaustion overwhelmed him.

He guessed that the times still hadn’t changed.

The Captain’s fingers twitched as they anticipated the oncoming fight. 

“Steven Grant Rogers, US Army, 01889,” he mumbled incoherently, falling back onto prisoner of war protocol.

“Captain?” One of the doctors asked as though he had heard Steve. 

The man grabbed a light from his pocket, fiddling with the glasses on his face so he’d be able to see properly. Using the pad of his thumb he lifted Steve’s eyelids, shining the brightness into them. The Captain took in the man’s face, keeping the movement minimal enough that it was imperceptible, and watched as the doctor's expression shifted. The medic’s features seemed to age within the span of a second, becoming older, his hair grayed, and his skin sagged.

It was Zola.

The real doctor decided he was hearing things that were not there, and thought nothing of it when Steve didn’t respond. He continued on with his duties, his mind already far from the incident. 

A young man, beside the professional, readied an IV in order to help Steve’s body rejuvenate any lost proteins from his slumber.

“Steven Grant Rogers, US Army, 01889,” Steve repeated, but again wasn’t heard.

“I’m going to start the intravenous,” the main doctor announced to the other members in the room.

Steve cracked open his eyes once again, already concocting a plan of escape, and caught a glimpse of the needle. He zeroed in on the metal spike, his whole body stiffened as any plan erased from his mind. His heart rate upticked as the two inch glinting probe, with a tube attached, became clearer in the sickening light.

The doctor’s grip on the Captain’s arm was gentle, but to Steve it felt constricting. It was an attempt to keep him from struggling.

The physician was oblivious to his patient’s internal paranoia as he pulled up the sleeve of Steve’s suit. The chilled carbon polymer made it difficult for the man to be tender in his actions, resulting in a tug to Steve’s arm. 

The Captain continued to study the man’s actions as he brought the needle to Steve’s forearm, and started to apply pressure. 

Feeling the prick of the sharp tip, the Captain's eyes finally snapped open. 

“No!” 

Every nurse and doctor stopped in their tracks as Steve screamed. Anger was a mask on the soldier’s face; his head snapped to look at the doctor handling him. The physician paled.

Steve’s fist flashed like lightning, connecting with the unsuspecting doctor, and sending him flying through the medbay window. 

Glass erupted into shards.

Steve’s eyes were wild as he was forced to relive his past. 

“No! You can’t have it. Stay away!” 

Steve tried to get off of the table only to find that his legs weren’t budging. 

The Captain looked down to see his lower body encased in ice. The numbing cold was keeping him in his place. Steve realized it must be a part of the plan to keep him from escaping their slimy fingers once again. But there was a nagging at the back of his subconscious telling him something wasn’t wrong with his interpretation, a picture of a crashing plane crept into his mind. It was sent away when the hands of other nurses tried to subdue him.

Steve shouldered them back, desperately trying to buy himself enough time to punch his way out of the ice. Chunks and slivers of the block flew in every direction, chipping away to his freedom. 

“Captain! Stop, you’re going to hurt yourself!” 

The male nurse rushed him, grabbing his arms. 

Guards banged through the door, having heard the commotion from the hallway. They made a beeline to Steve, pushing the medics away to restrain the soldier. 

Two guards flanked both sides of the Captain. Gaining purchase to his wrists, they slammed Steve’s arms down to the table. They made quick work of locking his appendages in place with steel cufflink, latching them onto the underside of the table. Even though Steve didn't have the leverage of his lower half, his upper body strength was nothing to be underestimated.

Steve flexed, obliterating the cuffs. He surged to the right, grabbing the guard by his kevlar vest, and hurled him at his partner. The momentum flung them into the wall with a thud.

“Someone call Mr. Stark!” someone yelled. 

Steve continued to protest as the medical staff called for backup.

He wouldn’t be their science experiment; he would rather die than let Hydra take the serum from him.

“Don’t touch me you Hydra bastards! It’s not yours! The serum will never be yours!” 

Steve continued to fight off his perceived enemies, but they stood no real chance. His unnatural strength made them a bug under his shoe. 

A young physician broke from the group, doing his best to stay out of the Captain’s line of vision. The young man fumbled with the tranquilizer gun, frantically loading the dart into the chamber with tottering hands. When readied, he raised the weapon. His finger hovered over the trigger as his heart beat wildly in his chest. He was about to shoot Captain fucking America. 

The bullet would never land. 

With the Captain’s impeccable reflexes, Steve caught the dart in hand. An animalistic glare cowered the doe eyed doctor. 

“Wrong move,” Steve growled. 

The soldier grabbed a nearby metal tray, housing the heat guns, and chucked it as if it had been his beloved shield from battles long since fought. The young doctor was hit in the head, falling to the ground unconscious. 

As the young man collapsed, Steve failed to see one of the man’s comrades take another tranq-gun and make a successful shot. Steve hissed as the dart lodged into his shoulder. He glowered at the small clear vile. Ripping it out of his flesh, he threw it to the ground. The glass tube shattered.

Steve thought the serum would prevent the sleep-inducing drug from taking effect, but was shortly proven wrong when he was overtaken by a wave of dizziness. The Captain was alarmed at the discovery, and fought to stay awake. 

Blurry figures were on him; his ferocity weakened.

“Don’t touch me!” He screamed, as hands came down on him.

Steve’s attention shifted as a man-like body in red and gold burst through the door; heavy footsteps thunked in his ears.

The bustling noises around Steve filtered out as he looked at this anomaly. The body's outer shell was sleek and smooth. The head’s golden plating contoured the remnants of a human face. Steve stared into the empty eyes. He was trying to get a read on the thing’s emotions, but they were expressionless. He couldn’t help but be enamoured.

“What the hell is going on!” The machine spoke, voice modulated.

“Sir! I don’t know. He woke up, and started attacking,” a lady explained as she flattened herself against the wall. 

Steve’s eyes billowed as the metal contraption talked. It seemed almost human. 

“What are you? Some Hydra machine?” He questioned the robot, but found himself pulled back into the undertow of his own memories. 

“Get off!” He yelled as doctors tried to push him down. 

Lab coats and Nazi uniforms clashed in his vision.

“Whoa, whoa, hands off! You obviously see your making it worse, get out of here,” the robot man spoke.

He waved the doctors away as he hurried over to the table. Steve calmed when the staff dispersed, but was still tense as the machine got closer.

Tony hovered by Steve’s side with his hands up, showing that he was not going to harm the Captain. With the new stance, the soldier noticed a glow sprouting from the metal man’s hands. Steve clenched his fists, and looked on as the alloy hands turned into a tesseract weapon.

”Captain Rogers, do you-” 

Steve cut him off with an uppercut, catching the man by surprise. The soldier expected his assault to be successful, but what was stupefied when he failed. The metal man caught Steve’s fist and pushed him down, restraining him. The whine and clicking of machinery resounded as the man put his weight against Steve’s resistance. 

The Captain's eyes enlarged.

Steve should have been able to overpower his opponent.

Did he finally find his natural opposite against the serum, or was it the sedative’s effect increasingly weakening Steve’s efforts?

“Listen to me,” the stranger said, pointedly.

The metal man's faceplate lifted revealing a human, looking straight at Steve. 

Dark brown anger seemed to engulf Steve's blue. He gave the stranger all his attention.

“You are Steve Rogers. You’re from Brooklyn. Your favorite team is the Dodgers. Right now you’re in New York in my home. You’re safe, there’s no Hydra, you’re safe.” 

Steve watched as the man’s eyes shown with every emotion. His last words shook Steve to his core.

“I know right now you’re not yourself, but you need to pull it together. You’re Steve Rogers of the 107th. You are Captain America, act like it.” 

Steve stopped resisting. His blight of anger and fear drained out of his body. 

“How...do you..” 

The last thing Steve saw, before he lost consciousness, was the healing blue light exploding from the middle of the man’s chest.

_ Oh...It's you. _

  
  



End file.
